It’s a common problem is the gym. In order to start making progress, you need to either do more reps, increase the number of exercises you are doing and lastly to increase the amount of weight you can lift.

In essence, the more strength you want the more muscle you will need to build.  As your body becomes stronger the larger your muscle mass will be.

The vast majority of amateurs try to build muscle mass by doing high rep isolation exercises. This might be OK at first, but after a while, they generally start to feel muscle soreness.

Unfortunately, this very rarely works since the person can’t lift heavy enough weights to trigger muscle growth.

If you try to copy what experienced bodybuilders do, this won’t work I’m afraid. The vast majority of them have used some sort of drug or supplement to help aid their development.

The exercises you see them doing in the gym aren’t what helped them to bulk up initially.

The best thing for you is to take a more natural approach to build muscle mass. It is a slower process but natural is much better for you in the long run.

This is what works:

Get stronger

To build muscle mass your whole body needs to be strong. The more strength you have = more muscle.

If you can, try to increase your squat, bench press and deadlifts. Gradually increasing the weight over time will help increase your muscle mass.

The two basically work hand in hand with each other.

Add More Weight

Forget about increasing the reps that you do. As I mentioned earlier, increasing reps will only make you sore. Instead, try to focus on increasing the weight on the bar.

To start making progress, increase the weight little by little.

The idea is to lift slightly more than last time. In time you will feel yourself getting stronger which in turn will build your muscle mass.

If you don’t increase the amount of weight on the bar, you just won’t grow.

Do Compounds

This is where you will work different muscle groups at the same time. By using free weights instead of a machine you will find yourself having to balance and shift your body weight to compensate.

Your routines should consist of heavy barbell rows, bench, deadlifts, overhead presses, and squats.

Use Barbells

Did you know that you can lift more weight with barbells than any other tool in your gym?

As I mentioned earlier, the fact that you need to balance the weight yourself involves much more movement and more muscle groups. Just don’t forget to warm up before you attempt any exercise with a barbell.

Increase The Frequency

I know I said increasing reps wasn’t good. What I actually meant is that doing this alone wasn’t good.

If you combine the increase in reps with lifting heavier weights and also the frequency in how much you exercise, you should start seeing some spectacular results.

Instead of exercising twice a week, try and bump this up to three days a week instead.

Recover

This is probably one of the most underutlised parts of a workout routine. No matter what muscle group you are trying to grow, you need to give them time to recover. Believe it or not, even your mind needs a rest from time to time.

Not only is this really good for your muscles it’s also good for your mind and wellbeing. It’s also a good idea to drink a lot of water and get plenty of sleep.

Increase How Much You Eat

As you increase the amount of weight you are lifting, your body uses a lot of calories.

To maintain a healthy balance means you need to increase how much food you are eating. With increased exercise comes a higher metabolism.

If you are of the slim persuasion, then you would need to eat a lot to build muscle mass.

Eat Protein

As you may be aware, your body uses a ton of protein to build new muscle. Since this is the case it’s a good idea to ensure you eat a healthy amount of foods that are rich in protein.

The recommended amount is about 1.8g protein per kilogram of body-weight (0.82g/lb).

This will allow you to maximize your muscle recovery and help you build muscle mass..